James Joshua Edelman was appointed to the Supreme Court of Western Australia on 25 July 2011. He obtained his degrees of Bachelor of Economics (1995), Bachelor of Laws (first class honours 1996) from the University of Western Australia, a Bachelor of Commerce from Murdoch University (1997). He was Associate to his Honour Justice Toohey, of the High Court of Australia, in 1997 and completed his articles with Blake Dawson Waldron. He was admitted to practice in Western Australia in 1998.
Justice Edelman was awarded a Rhodes scholarship in 1998 and obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in Law (2001) from the University of Oxford. Justice Edelman took up a teaching position at Keble College, Oxford University in 2005, and was appointed Professor of the Law of Obligations at Oxford (2008). At Oxford he taught the subjects of restitution, commercial remedies, trusts, torts, contract and Roman law.
He practised as a barrister at the Chambers of Mr Malcolm McCusker QC in Perth from 2001, and at One Essex Court at the English Bar from 2008.
He has written or edited books on damages, unjust enrichment, interest awards, equity, and torts.